Just For Tonight
by Mina Shelley
Summary: A party is being throw in Konoha and everyone's invited. Dancing, flirting, and alchohol end up being more than Ino can handel. When Sasuke breaks her heart, she seaks help from another broken heart. Rating given for lemon sented fluff.
1. Chapter 1

"What do you think, Sakura? Black or red?" Ino asked, holding up two skin-tight, strap-less, dresses that, when worn, ended no less than about six inches above her knee. Later that night, the two kunoichi would be going to a party hosted at a night club, and Ino planned on picking up a guy or two before the night was done. Her sites were set on a specific ninja, one Sasuke Uchiha. At the moment, the two were trying to decide on outfits.

Sakura was wearing a hot-pink, skin-tight tank top and a black, velvet miniskirt with white ribbon trim and a pair of knee-high, black leather boots with white soles and an innocent pink ribbon tied around the ankle. Neither of them would leave the house without their ninja headbands (for security reasons), so they decided to wear them around their thighs (where they were _very _visible).

"In all honesty, Ino, neither." Sakura said getting up and walking to Ino's closet, rummaging through it's many contents. "Here," she said shoving a sapphire blue version of the dress, but with spaghetti straps and black lace lining the bottom "try this. It brings out your eyes better."

While Ino was sliding on the dress, Sakura dug through Ino's jewelry box, finding mostly earrings and hair ties. "Ah ha!" she exclaimed, finding what she had been searching for. Sakura held in her hand a black choker necklace with pearl studs running from end to end, like the first snow of winter on a dark night. Walking up behind Ino, who was admiring herself in the mirror, she clipped it around her neck. "And that brings out the lace, while adding a sexy touch to the outfit."

"As much as I hate to admit it, good pick, Forehead." Ino said teasingly. "Why can't you decorate the apartment as well?"

"Well, maybe if you stop calling me that, Ino-pig, I just might." She returned mockingly.

"Fat chance!" Ino laughed.

"Wait a second!" Sakura called before Ino could leave the apartment.

"What?"

"I just need to fix something." She said, pulling the ponytail holder out of Ino's hair and tossing it onto the coffee table. "Ta-da! Much better."

"You may have a good fashion sense, but nothing can make up for that forehead." Ino said before running out the door.

"Why you." Sakura called, before chasing her.

They soon regretted the ensembles they'd chosen. It was 10 degrees and the were walking to the party in light jackets that were meant for Spring. A bad decision on their part, and all the more reason for them to hurry. So what are the chances that Lee just happened to pull up next to them on the side of the road? (I'm not sure if there are in fact cars in the Naruverse, but there are in this story, so deal with it.)

"Hello, Sakura, Ino. Do you need a ride?" Lee looked amazing. Thankfully, he had decided not to wear his usual spandex, but instead a button-up red shirt and black pants. He had a new hair style to replace the "bowl cut" as well. If it hadn't been for the "bug eyes" and exaggerated eyebrows, he may actually have been called attractive!

"Yes!" They said in unison. Despite the fact that it was Lee, and that his car looked like it had just been pulled out of a junk yard before being crushed and turned into soda cans, in the cold weather, it looked all too inviting.

Lee, being the gentleman that he was, held the door open and the practically dove in.

The tiny white car didn't look like much on the outside, but was all to great on the inside. The floors were covered in soft grey carpeting. The seats of black leather looked like new and included "seat-heat". And the windows were tinted, so that no one could see them.

The ride there was uncomfortably quiet. The silence was deafening. Had it not been for the sound of the heater, Ino thought she might've gone insane. Sakura was the first to break the silence. "So, Lee, you're going to the party too?"

"Yes. Though I did not plan on seeing the two of you. In all honesty, it was a wonderful surprise." The two kunoichi were glad that they couldn't see the dorky grin plastered across his face.

"Hey," Ino cut in to the conversation. "does anyone know who's throwing this party anyway?"

"I believe it is Jiryia." Lee commented.

"Shit!" the two girls exclaimed.

"You mean we're going to a party hosted by Jiryia dressed like this?!" Sakura half questioned and half screamed.

"Is there still time to go back and change?" Ino inquired.

"Too late," Sakura stated. "We're already here."

"I could turn around if you want. It is only about 10 minuets away." Lee offered.

"No, that's okay. We'll survive…right, Ino?"

"Uhh…yeah. Of course we will!" she said with a very wide, very fake grin. If Lee wasn't so oblivious to all hints women could possibly drop, he might have noticed.

"All right then." Lee said simply, slowing the car to a stop and getting out to open the door for the 2 girls.

"Thank you." Sakura said.

"See ya, Lee." Ino said.


	2. Chapter 2

The building was amazing! Over 15 stories high, with much more windows than necessary. It may have been a night club, but it gave the impression of an international bank. The only difference was the tinted windows, black paint, and red neon sign atop the roof that read: BLACK CATS. Red velvet ropes attached to golden poles snaked through the crowds of people waiting to get in. It was amazing how many people had shown up. Jiraya was lucky. Being a former teammate of the Hokage gave you the right to do just about any thing; even rent out an entire night club to throw a party for now reason. One thing was for sure, it was going to be one Hell of a party.

They finally reached the end of the line. Checking in with the door man, they entered the building.

If it looked big from the outside, then the inside was just plain ridiculous. It was dark, lit only by red, blue, and green lights flashing around the dance floor. There were several smoke machines that lined the walls and the speakers were blasting "Every Time We Touch" by Cascada. As previously stated this was one Hell of a party.

Sakura immediately ran off into the crowd, and Ino not wanting to lose her, followed after. After finally navigating through the crowd, she found Sakura in deep conversation with Sasuke.

"Really? That's great!" Sakura said, a bit too excitedly.

"What's going on?" Ino questioned.

"Sasuke's been promoted to head of the ANBU!" Sakura explained, using the same over-enthusiastic tone.

"That's great, Sasuke!" Ino commented, mimicking Sakura's keenness.

"Thanks." Sasuke replied, less than paying attention to Ino. He seemed to be occupied with Sakura, only looking away when Ino had first showed up.

Ino undeniably noticed.

"So what else is new, Sasuke?" she asked, trying to steal his attention.

"Not much." He answered, looking at her for only a brief moment before returning his focus to Sakura. "Sakura, may I speak with you a moment?"

"Uhh, sure, Sasuke." She answered, following him to the other side of the room. "See ya later, Ino!" she called back.

"Uhh…see ya…" Ino said, though she knew Sakura couldn't hear her.

Saddened and alone, Ino headed toward the bar. Seeing as how Sasuke couldn't care less about talking to her, and her best friend had just deserted her, she could think of nothing better to do than drink herself stupid.

That's when Lee came over.

"Hello, Ino. How are you? What do you think of the party so far?"

If you've ever known someone like Lee, someone who is so easily influenced that you have to be careful about the choice of each word of every sentence, because a single syllable could send them from being happy-go-lucky into spiraling depression, you know that it's very hard to bring yourself to ruin their mood.

There for, not being able to bring herself to ruin Lee's night…Ino lied, "I'm fine, and the party's great." She said, faking a smile. "How 'bout you?"

"I am fine, I suppose. The music could be better."

Ino had actually like most of the music so far, but, since it was Lee she was talking to, she lied again, "True."

"By the way," Lee added, "did you hear the news?"

"What news?" Ino asked, now interested in what Lee had to say.

"It is Sasuke. He proposed to Sakura." There was and edge of sadness to his voice.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAT!?!"

"Ino, please keep it down. You are causing a scene." He said in a hushed, but commanding voice.

"Fine, but when the Hell did this happen?!"

His eyes lowered, he didn't even look up as he said, "Just now. They were talking over there," he gestured to the far side of the room, "and he popped the question. It is expectable. After all, they have been going out for quite a while now." It almost sounded like he was trying to laugh about that last sentence.

She wanted to burst out screaming; half because Sasuke was now completely out of her reach, and half because Sakura – her best friend – hadn't told her about this. She wanted to, but she couldn't. Because of Lee. She knew he'd liked Sakura, and she knew that the sorrow she was feeling, couldn't be nearly as bad as it was for Lee. It wasn't even a fraction! And if it was, it would be a half of a sixty-eighth of a millionth of a thousandth of a tenth of a billionth of a trillionth of a quadrillionth!

She knew she should say something, but she didn't know what. She'd never had to do anything like this before. She'd seen movies like this before. In the movies, the girl would tell the guy that that other girl was stupid, mean, and just not worth his time. That she was ugly and catty and that he should forget all about her. Just two problems with that. First was that Sakura was her best friend, she couldn't say those kinds of things about her. Second problem, in all of those movies, the guy was handsome and charming, and the girl in the movie was supposed to like him. She was supposed to say those things, not necessarily because she completely believed them, but because she was trying to make him feel better and trying to make him like her. So what was the problem? Ino wasn't at all sure if she had any feelings for Lee. Sure, he was really nice and all, but he just wasn't all that attractive, physically that is.

Thinking about that only made her feel shallow. Could that be why she'd fallen for Sasuke in the first place? Because he had a nice face? Because she thought the fact that he never talked to anyone made him mysterious? Because she thought that made him cool? She didn't know. He had eyes for Sakura, which must've meant that were destined to be. Could that have been a reason? Was Sasuke just another piece of their rivalry all those years? Just another reason for them to fight with each other? She was pathetic. No, worse than that. She was disgusting. No one could love someone like her. Why would they? Maybe she did need a guy like Lee. A guy who was nothing like her.

"Don't worry about it, Lee. If they're taking this step, it just means that it was meant to be." She looked at him, his eyes were still filled with sadness and he still refused to look at her. Quickly, she added, "How about the two of us go out some time? You know, go do something fun. You don't need Sakura for that." She said smiling.

Finally, he looked up at her, "I would like that very much, Ino. When did you have in mind?"

"How 'bout right now? No time like the present, right?"

He was smiling now.

"So, what do you say, 'Deal…or no deal'"

Laughingly he said, "Deal."

**AN:** And there's another chapter. A good thousand or so words. By the way, having over 200 hits and only 1 review does not make me happy. So, review……..NOW!! Or so help me Bob……Where is this going? I'll give an imaginary cookie to whoever can guess before my next update.

SomaX


	3. Chapter 3

Every bar, karaoke plaza, and night club in Konoha had seen Lee and Ino that night, though never for more than 20 minuets. Every source of entertainment they could find, they participated in. They even went so far as going to three different movies at the theatre. Not once did they think about time or money.

During a car ride back from one of these places, did they unknowingly make a decision that would affect them both forever.

"I'm having a really great time, Lee," Ino started, breaking the streak of laughter that had continued since they'd left the original party.

Lee smiled, saying, "Me too, Ino," only taking his eyes off the rode for a moment to look at the pale blue eyes next to him.

"You've got an apartment, right?" the owner of those eyes asked.

"Yes, I do."

"It's getting late. Maybe we should head by there," Ino suggested, noticing for the first time the neon green '10:34' that glowed up from the dashboard clock. "I would suggest going back to my place, but I'm afraid that Sakura and Sasuke might be there, and I wouldn't want to interrupt anything." They both laughed, Ino as a side effect of all the alcohol, and Lee, encouraging her good mood.

"As you wish," Lee said with a smile, making a u-turn.

They were silent the rest of the way there, but it wasn't an awkward silence. It was quite comfortable, and as enjoyable as the stream of laughter had been.

Once they reached said apartment complex, Ino followed Lee as he lead the way up to the 6th of 8 floors. Ino was surprised as soon as the door opened.

The place was quite classy. The walls were painted a royal blue, and hung with masterful paintings and decorative trinkets from other villages. A cream coloured carpet rolled across the floor and under expensive-looking furniture. Against one wall stood a tall, black, plasma screen TV, and embedded into another, a large, brick fireplace. To the right of the room, the kitchen was laid out with hardwood floors and black granite counter tops. The cupboards were oak with shining brass handles. To the left was, behind a door of the same oak as the cupboards, a bedroom that Ino was sure looked as dressed up as the rest of the place. And the view, oh the view! The wall furthest from the door was almost completely window. It looked out to the East in which lay several small shops and houses, low enough to the ground that the sun rise must look amazing every morning. Ino never would have thought that someone like Lee would live a life like this.

"Make yourself at home," Lee said, turning on the lights and locking the door behind him.

"Nice place you got," Ino commented, sitting on the couch in front of her and running her hand along the blue velvet fabric that was just a few shades lighter than the walls. "How do you afford all this?"

"What can I say? When you work with someone as enthusiastic as Gai-sensei, you never stop going on missions," Lee answered, taking a seat beside her.

"No wonder there's never any good ones for the rest of us," Ino laughed. "You have great taste in art, by the way."

"Thank you. I have taken a liking to painting as of late."

Ino couldn't keep the surprise from her voice, "Wait, you did those? I'll have to have you come by and decorate our apartment, since neither Sakura nor I will ever get around to it."

"Just call me when you need me."

"I'll be sure to do that."

Once again, that comfortable silence set in. Both were completely at ease with each other and everything around them.

"Hey, Lee, I really have had a good time tonight," even as she spoke, she didn't look at him.

He looked at her when he answered, "Me too, Ino."

She still didn't look at him, and continued speaking as if she hadn't heard what he said, "It feels like… like I've never met you before. Like I'm seeing you for the first time. It's hard to admit, but I've always seen you as this bug-eyed weirdo who liked Sakura. Just some dork who wasn't worth the time of day."

Lee flinched slightly hearing that.

"But, do you know what's strange? Now, it feels like I've found the one thing I've been looking for all this time. All my life there have only been two things that mattered to me, beating Sakura at every thing, and winning Sasuke's affections. But now… now it seems like neither of those things matter any more. Now it seems like I was over looking something that should have mattered… I think that thing is you…"

Lee hadn't moved once during her monologue, and his eyes stayed rested on her the whole time.

"So now, I feel I have to ask: Lee, will you be mine, just for tonight?"

It took a moment for it to register with him what was happening. Then, Lee felt compelled to deliver his own explanation. A sad smile crossed his face as he began, "Thinking about it now, it seems that my only ambitions in life are quite similar to yours. My only goal was to win Sakura's love."

Ino remembered the first time she'd seen Lee. It had been back in the Forest of Death during their first attempt at the Chunin exams. She remembered how hard he'd worked to protect Sakura from those sound ninja, and how he'd promised to protect her with his life.

"It always seemed that, no matter how hard I would try, the only one Sakura would ever notice, was Sasuke. So, after tonight, it feels like that was all a waste. But now, after meeting someone like you, I feel that maybe I too was missing something all along. So, to answer your question, I will be yours tonight, and every night after." Now, a genuine smile crossed his face as he leaned in an kissed the woman before him.

Once he pulled back, and the room stopped spinning, Ino went right back at him with 10 times the force, pushing him back on to the couch. He held her close, and the thin straps on her dress began to slide down her arms as Ino began tearing at the buttons on Lee's shirt. Then, Lee took control, moving Ino onto her back as the two of them worked to get her dress off.

They both froze when they heard the door open. Both moved enough that they could see over the top of the couch and see the figure before them.

"Way to utilize your youth, kids!" Might Gai said, giving them the thumbs up and closing the door behind him. "I'll be in the other room." He then strutted off to the bedroom and closed the door.

By now, the moment had completely passed, and both shinobi knew it. They sat back in there original places on the couch, working to get there clothes back in order.

Ino finally got up the courage to speak, "Would you mind driving me home?"

"Not at all."

The car ride back to Ino's apartment was quiet. This time, the silence was extremely awkward.

Lee was the first one to speak, "I am sorry. I should have told you that Gai-sensei shared the apartment. This is my fault."

"No, Lee, it's my fault. I shouldn't have pressed you into having sex with me. After all, it is only our first date. Maybe you'll have better luck if you pick me up again next Saturday."

The car pulled to a stop in front of the complex, and Ino let herself out.

"Until the next night, then?" Lee asked.

Ino looked at Lee, and then at the apartments, before climbing back into the car and closing the door. "Then again, who says we can't get a head start? You may enjoy my company until midnight… but just for tonight…"

**THE END**

**AN: **And thus, a year after it was started, this story finally comes to the end. I hope you all enjoyed. I had planned to release this on Valentines Day, but I just couldn't stand to wait that long. Thank you to the 6 of you who reviewed and the 1000 who read.

SomaX


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